Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has appointed Brad Vassar to the new role of Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive Officer of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
Vassar will also become a member of the company’s Board of Managers, effective September 8, 2020.
In this new capacity, Vassar continues to report to Wayne Chaplin, CEO of Southern Glazer’s, as well as continue to provide leadership and oversight of the company’s Exceptional Leaders Program, Southern Glazer’s flagship leadership development program. He will also provide mentoring for the company’s commercial leadership team: John Wittig, Chief Commercial Officer, Gene Sullivan, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, and David Chaplin, Chief Growth Officer.
Effective September 8, Wittig and Sullivan will report directly to Chaplin, and David Chaplin will report jointly to Wittig and Chaplin.
“Brad’s professionalism has helped change the landscape of the distribution tier in the U.S. market, while at the same time helping shape our change agenda at Southern Glazer’s,” says Chaplin. “He has left his leadership mark on our company, our employees and our culture and for that I personally will forever be grateful. Brad will be missed in our day-to-day activities and on the front lines, but will continue to be involved and assist us with his thoughts and vision as a Strategic Advisor and Board Member.”
Prior to joining Southern Glazer’s in 1991, Vassar began his career as a salesman at Berberian Brothers in Northern California. He then joined Southern as a District Manager for the Central Valley in California and later became Branch Manager for Sacramento Valley.
In December 1997, Vassar was appointed General Manager of Southern California. Then, in December 2004, he was appointed General Manager of Southern Wine & Spirits of America. Ultimately, Vassar was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Southern Wine & Spirits, and then was later appointed to his current role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
“I have been fortunate to be a part of the Southern Glazer’s family for nearly 30 years, working for the most loyal people I have ever known,” says Vassar. “As a manager, it is my responsibility to repay that loyalty by helping prepare the next generation of leaders and to know the right time to let them succeed on their own. For me, that time is now. Wayne is the smartest, hardest working person in this business, and we at Southern Glazer’s are fortunate to have a deep bench of leaders ready now to continue to ensure this company evolves and is even better over the next decade and beyond. I am honored to help Wayne and the company in any way going forward.”
